Ideas worth spreading

Sorry, this talk has not yet been translated into: Hausa|Want to help translate this talk? Become a TED Translator.

How this FBI strategy is actually creating US-based terrorists

1,378,282 views |

Trevor Aaronson |

TED2015

• March 2015

There's an organization responsible for more terrorism plots in the United States than al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab and ISIS combined: The FBI. How? Why? In an eye-opening talk, investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson reveals a disturbing FBI practice that breeds terrorist plots by exploiting Muslim-Americans with mental health problems.

There's an organization responsible for more terrorism plots in the United States than al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab and ISIS combined: The FBI. How? Why? In an eye-opening talk, investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson reveals a disturbing FBI practice that breeds terrorist plots by exploiting Muslim-Americans with mental health problems.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Trevor Aaronson

Trevor Aaronson

See speaker profile

An investigative journalist who reports on the FBI’s misuse of informants in counterterrorism operations, Trevor Aaronson asks the question: Is the United States catching terrorists or creating them?

Al Jazeera English, 2014 | Watch

Informants

This American Life, August 10, 2012 | Listen

The Convert

NPR, August 21, 2011 | Listen

Terror Probes Have FBI's Informant Numbers Soaring

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.